Anytime
by hoom
Summary: Yuugi has an axcidental conversation with someone he didn't know existed. Rated K for really mild cursing and sarcasm. Some implied violence
1. Chapter 1

**Anytime**

Hey! Sorry I haven't been updating my stories for this past…year? Uh…well, I have nothing to say for myself, seeing as I have virtually no life, and spend almost all my time procrastinating. Yeah, I just haven't been inspired. So from now on, I'm going to write one shots (like this one!) or write the whole thing and post each chapter on something of a regular basis. _ANYWAYS!_

Ok, this little one shot takes place at the very beginning of the series, just a week or two after Yuugi first solves the puzzle. Its following the original manga in terms of plot development, and using the original Japanese names (Jonouchi Joey).

Words with are through the mind link. Ex: /_ha, ha, ha! /_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything even resembling it.

**Anytime**

Yuugi slouched at his desk and glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time. Urgh, still about 45minutes left. He sighed dejectedly, going back to staring at the board. It's not that he didn't like history, he just didn't like the way Mr. Krog went about teaching it. Really, Ancient Egypt was a fascinating subject, one of which Yuugi had always felt some sort of deep connection to, and he felt it deserved to be taught with enthusiasm. Not what Mr. Krog was doing. Yuugi didn't consider that teaching, more or less just taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the room had to listen to whatever he said for an hour and 15 minutes everyday.

That's just the problem, Yuugi mused, no one cares what the teacher says, just that they get in on time and teach it, condemning the class to a daily heap of hellish torture. No one even learns anything! For the rest of their lives everyone will associate Ancient Egypt and History in general with this feeling of deep loathing and the desire to shoot your self. This was one of the billons of things that made school a living hell. If they just hired a few teachers who were actually interested in the subject and who actually wanted to share their interest, not so much as to inflict, and then hand out hundreds of mindless questions that have no correspondence to the rest of the lesson, then maybe they would get better results. Anything would be better then Mr. Krog droning on, and on, and on, and on, and-

"Mr. Mutou, would you care to answer that question?"

Yuugi's heart skipped a beat as Mr. Krog's voice sliced through his conscience like a red hot knife through butter. His head shot up as he tried to get his bearings.

"Ah…um, s-sorry, c-could you please repeat the question?"

Mr. Krog was glaring at him from the front of the classroom, big thick binder in one hand, the other drumming impatiently on his desk.

"If you had been paying the lest bit of attention, you would have known what my question was." He said indignantly. One of Mr. Krog's favorite pastimes, besides boring the class to death, was tormenting his students, namely Yuugi. He especially liked to single Yuugi out, seeing as he would always freeze up when required to speak in front of the other students.

A few of his class mates looked up, pulled out of their daze by the break in the usual lull. Jonouchi, having snapped back to awareness at the mention of Yuugi's name sent him an empathetic look, before turning to glower at Mr. Krog.

"I-I, um, s-sorry. I d-didn't really…" Yuugi trailed off, heat rushing to his face.

Mr. Krog raised an eyebrow. "I see." He glanced down at his binder, filled with information on the subject he obviously knew nothing about. "Well then, for your sake, let's hope you know the answer to my question, or else we'll be seeing a lot more of each other after school." That was an obvious threat, and his tone meant business. For once, Mr. Krog had captured the attention of everyone in the room.

Yuugi swallowed dryly and awaited his doom, hoping that the question would be answerable. He really couldn't take these detentions, it had happened a few times before and they were a living hell. Even though Yuugi knew it wasn't his fault for not knowing something they hadn't covered, he couldn't help but feel that it somehow was. He didn't know how Jonouchi took it, just calling the professor names behind his back, badmouthing the crap out of the guy, he never once felt guilty, even if he had done something. Yuugi on the other hand was left with a deep feeling of guilt and shame, and for the next few days couldn't meet anyone's gaze without feeling somehow below them. No, if he was condemned to another detention, he might as well jump off the nearest cliff. Or building. Preferably a tall one.

Mr. Krog cleared his throat as he re-read his question "What was the name of the worker figures buried in the tombs?"

Yuugi's breath caught in his throat. He knew this! But what were they called?! He knew their purpose! They did all your work for you in the afterlife! The more you had the less work you had to do! But what were they called?! Yuugi actually knew quite a lot about Egypt, having been fascinated with it. _Damn it!_ He knew this! But what was it! What were they called?!

"You've got 10 seconds." Smirked Mr. Krog.

"9"

_Come on, THINK!_

"8"

_Come on! I KNOW this!!_

"7"

_Think, Think, THINK!! WHAT IS IT!_

"**5"**

_PLEASE!!_

"**4"**

_It's …Shab…something…?!_

"**3"**

_Shab…shabat?... shaben?!_

"**2"**

_/Shabti?/_ Subjected a voice.

_**THAT'S IT!!**_

"_**1"**_

"Shabti!" Yuugi blurted out. Mr. Krog blinked in surprise, not actually expecting him to answer.

"Shabti, t-they're called Shabti." Yuugi said breathlessly, heart pounding. Mr. Krog looked down at his notes, double checking to make sure he had heard it correctley.

"Uh, yeah, Shebti, er, Shabti." He quickly whipped the look of shock from his face, and continued to glower at Yuugi. "Well, it looks like you were lucky this time, but if I catch you daydreaming again, I'm calling home." He cleared his throat. "Now then, where was I…"

_Nice!_ Jonouchi mouthed at Yuugi, who smiled weakly, sinking back into his chair. He felt so relived!

_/Thanks! / _Yuugi thought gratefully. There was no way he could have remembered in time.

/_Anytime./ _came the reply.

Yuugi let out a sigh of relief-then abruptly froze in pure shock. The realization of what had just happened passed through him like a thunderbolt. His mind had just answered him! It's not supposed to do that! Yuugi was prone to talk to himself, but he was the only one that would answer back, it was just his own voice he heard. This was _not_ his voice! Something or some_one_ had actually responded. Whatever or _who_ever it was, was inside of him! That voice, it was so familiar, but he knew he had never heard it before. That deep voice, somewhat similar to his own echoed throughout his thoughts, reverberating off the walls of his mind.

_/Anytime/_

Hope you enjoyed!

hoom


	2. Chapter 2

Hi again! Wow, thank you so much for all the reviews! I never imagined that this story would get so many! I know how I said this was a one shot, but due to popular demand I've decided to make it longer. I just don't know by how much! I apologize if this doesn't have a decent plot or seams a little drawn out, but I really have no idea where this is going. Fortunately I do have some idea of an ending, but everything else is still undecided. Thanks again for the reviews, and I'll try to update as soon as possible!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything even resembling it.

**Chapter Two**

The bell rang, and everyone sprang into action, eager for the weekend to start. Mr. Krog was already out the door, having left them all to jot down the homework for the weekend.

"I don't believe that freaking son of a-!" Jonouchi cursed from beside Yuugi. "What sort of a moron asks you an impossible to answer question, and then threatens to give you a detention if you can't answer!?" he raged, eyes blazing, "And just what the hell is a _sheb_..._shab_…_thing_ anyway!?"

"Shabti," Yuugi said numbly, gathering his books, "They do your work for you in the after life." He told himself that _whatever_ had happened, that voice he had heard, it was just his imagination. He was just stressed...

"Hey, Yuugi?" Said Jonouchi, looking over at his friend in concern, "You ok? You look kinda …pale."

"Umm…what? Oh! No, I-I'm fine." Yuugi said, startled out of his thoughts. He got up, slinging his bag onto his back.

"Nice work with that 'shebi' thing though." Said Jonouchi, as he and Yuugi left the now emptied class room, "How did you remember _that_?"

"I...have no idea." Yuugi answered truthfully. "I remember Grandpa telling me about them, but that was a long time ago. I never could remember what they were called." There went Yuugi's hopes of passing it off as his imagination. The more he thought about it, the less likely it seamed that he could have remembered on his own. He would have had to have help from something.

"Well anyway, I can't believe that you actually got it right." Jonouchi said, smiling down at his friend.

"Umm, it was…nothing really."

**0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x**

Back in his room, Yuugi plopped down onto his bed and curled up into a little ball, pulling an old blanket over himself. Yuugi never used to have any friends, so he had grown used to being alone. He used to imagine himself away, pretending that he was someone else, anyone else, just as long as they had a different life. Now that he had made the friends he had always wished for, he found it a bit hard to adapt. As much as Yuugi loved having such good friends, he still liked to have some time alone, just to shut out the world, even if the world hadn't done anything particularly wrong. He still liked to retreat into his mind where he could be alone with his thoughts.

And he did have a lot to think about just now. Like that voice. He didn't know what to think about it. As much as he tried to be in denial of it, he just couldn't. It was like nothing he had ever heard before, and he knew that none of the other students had spoken. Mr. Krog would have heard. Besides, it seamed to almost come from, well, from inside of him. Whatever it was, it didn't seam to mean him any harm. Quite the contrary, now that he thought about it.

A knock on the door broke Yuugi from his thoughts. He shot up, throwing off the blanket and grabbing a random manga from his nightstand. "Come in!" he called, brushing at his hair so as to flatten any signs of bed head. For some reason he didn't want his Grandpa to know that he liked to spend hours on end just staring into space, letting his mind wander. The door slowly opened and Sugoroku Muto came in.

"Hello Yuugi," He greeted, "Could you pick up a few things from the grocery store for me?" He said, looking over at his grandson. "It's not much, just a couple of things."

Yuugi put his manga down, trying to make it look convincing. "Sure thing!"

"I'd go myself, but the stores closing in an hour, and I've got to watch the shop."

"That's ok! I'll get going." Yuugi was always willing to help his Grandpa, seeing as he sure wasn't getting any younger, and Sugoroku was the one who took him in after Yuugi's parents had died. He had only been 8 at the time, so memories of his parents were a little foggy. For the greater part of his memory, it had only been him and his Grandpa.

Five minutes later, Yuugi was walking down the street, checking his list to see what he needed. "Let's see," he said to himself, "Milk, eggs, cereal, bread…not a whole lot." The sun was just beginning to set, casting strange distorted shadows across the pavement. The grocery store was just a few blocks away, so he wasn't in too much of a hurry.

"Hey! Yuugi!" Shouted a painfully familiar voice. Yuugi stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned; recognizing the three people he lest wanted to see. Rigaku, Kegorno, and Wuzurbi, three thugs from school. Three thugs who liked to beat people up that is, people like Yuugi.

"What are you doing out so late?" Asked Rigaku mockingly, the three of them blocking his path.

"At the moment, I'm waiting for this idiotic _thug_ to get his ugly face out of my way." _Where did that come from!?_ He thought franticly. Yuugi had never been good at come backs, especially under such circumstances as this.

Rigaku blinked in confusion, and then growled as he realized what Yuugi had said. "Think your smarter then me, wimp?!"

"It's not hard to be." He heard himself say. Yuugi couldn't believe it! The words just had just popped into his head. And he meant them, too.

"Well, it looks like the wimp's fighting back." Rigaku cracked his knuckled threateningly, the other two circling out on either side, efficiently closing off all chances of escape. "We're going to have to show him who's boss."

Yuugi felt himself smirking, "Really?" he said, arms crossed, without the slightest hint of concern, "Enlighten me."

Rigaku lurched forwards, rage written all over his face. Yuugi watched almost in slow motion as his fist slowly swung towards his face. Everything began to fade, and the last thing he felt was his face twisting into a hideous smile, dark rage taking over, before it all went black.

**0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x**

Yuugi slowly opened his eyes, blinking in confusion as he found himself standing on his front doorstep. _What!?_ He looked around in alarm, taking in his surroundings. The sun had fully set, and the street lights were all switched on. What happened to him!? How did he end up back here!? The last he remembered he was about to have his face punched in! A sudden wave of nausea shot through him, and he leaned on the door for support. That wasn't good. He felt so…drained.

He steadied himself, taking a deep breath. He told himself that there must be a logical explanation to all of this. He would figure that out later, as he felt like he should lie down. As he moved to open the door, his foot brushed past something. He looked down- and gasped in shock. There, on the doorstep, were two shopping bags, each with the distinct logo of the grocery store written on their fronts. Yuugi just stood there for a moment, before slowly picking them up and stepping inside. He had no doubt that they were filled with the contents of his list.

He was right.

Well, that sure took a while to write! Please read and review. ;D

hoom


	3. Chapter 3

_

* * *

_

Eeek! Sorry about the huge gap! I was busy working on this project, and then my computer kept crashing and I had to keep going back for more information! Anyway, I'm so sorry about the wait, I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again! And thank you everyone that reviewed! I hope this fic isn't getting too boring or repetitive! Most of it is just a bunch of ideas for one shots that I strung together to resemble something a little longer. Well, here's chapter three.

* * *

Yuugi glowered down at his homework, wishing that it would just disappear. Well, on reflection, if he tried to explain the next day that his homework had mysteriously vanished, he would probably just land a detention. No, he wished it would just do itself, or that he would suddenly know all the answers and be done with it. However no matter what Yuugi wished would happen, nothing of the sort did. He sighed and tried to concentrate.

"Ok, let's see…" he said to himself, trying to make sense of it all.

"Y equals X plus (X) N plus T… so I have to multiply and factor until I get a number that I then divide by…X? And then, we get another number…somehow…and factor by…17…for some reason…?!" He cautiously re-read the text example, hoping he had missed some vital point in the explanation.

Yuugi groaned and put his head on his desk. Just great, something else to confuse him to no end. It seamed a lot of things were doing that recently. Like that voice. Just what was that? Why did it want to help him? And just what had happened to Rigaku, Kegorno, and Wuzurbi? He hadn't seen them at all, not since he had blacked out. They didn't even wait around after school to try to beat him up like they usually did. Well, that is when Jonouchi wasn't around. But no one had seen them. It was like they had just vanished.

That was another thing that was bothering Yuugi. What exactly had happened when they had attacked him? Rigaku was just about to forcibly remove Yuugi's face with his fist, when it all just fell away. The thing was, afterwards his face didn't hurt at all. There was no mark, no pain, nothing! It was almost as if something had stopped his fist a second from impact. He had tried to argue that he had been punched unconscious, but could never get past the fact that he woke up on his own doorstep. Not something someone would do after punching you out. And the other thing, he was standing! Not lying, not sitting, but standing!

The one thing that really stumped him was the groceries. There was no way he could find a way around that. Rigaku and his cohorts couldn't have done it. First off, they hated Yuugi, why would they do his shopping for him? And second, there was no way they could have known about the list, or even that he had a list at all. Well, maybe if they had been watching him read it…but that wouldn't work either. He had put it away before they had seen him, and there was no way they could have been stocking him without his knowledge. The three of them weren't exactly known for their stealth. The only other person who would have known about the list was Grandpa, and Grandpa couldn't have done it, being too busy watching the shop. There was absolutely no explanation he could think of.

When he had come in, he was feeling pretty awful. He had gone strait up to his room after wards, and as soon as he had lain down on his bed he fell asleep. He woke up late the next morning, feeling better then ever. Good thing it was a week end.

Yuugi glanced at his clock and groaned in despair. 1:30 am and he still had a good forty questions left. His Millennium puzzle softly thunked against his desk as he slouched forwards, catching his attention. He cupped the puzzle in his hands, tracing its intricate design. This puzzle meant the world to him. He had found it shortly after his parents had died, on one of the back shelves of the Kame Game Shop. For as long as Grandpa had lived there, he had never found it. Yuugi thought it had been waiting there for him to find it. It had taken him eight whole years to complete the puzzle, and he had done it almost all in just one night. He had made a wish on the puzzle. He had wished for friends. And that's exactly what it gave him. He became friends with Jonouchi on the same night he completed it, and after that Anzu had started hanging out with them. Then Honda eventually became his friend too. He owed it all to the puzzle.

The only thing was, ever since he had completed the puzzle, weird things had been happening. It was like he was letting off some sort of a signal, attracting all sorts of dark, sinister, dangerous people who seamed to mean him harm, or were just looking for someone to beat up and/or kill. It had always been that way with Yuugi, but now it seemed, if possible, intensified. It was also when he had started having blackouts. He frowned, maybe they were connected somehow…?

He jolted back to awareness. Great. He had just dazed off. He really had to stop daydreaming and get back to work. "Right!" he said with as much determination as he could muster. He looked back down at the text trying to make as much sense of it as he could.

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

There was a loud thunk as Yuugi's head dropped back onto his desk. 2:45 am. Still…working. He groaned, the smell of his text book somewhat mocking. So clean but so cruel. He forcefully pushed his head back up, trying to keep his eyes open. He had no idea how he was still awake. Yuugi could stay up pretty late without dropping dead, 3:30 being his latest, but that was when he was doing something fun and had lost track of the time. And that was when he wanted to. Now he was being forced! And he didn't like it at all.

He blinked owlishly, trying to keep his eyes open despite the pain he felt at forcing them so. A strange sort of deadness had taken over his body, weighing him down and making everything out of proportion. He rubbed at his eyes, hands shaking slightly.

"That's…not good." He said slowly, his voice sounding much too loud in his ears.

He looked back down at his work. Only one more question. One more and he would be free! Able to rest, to sleep! Mmmm, sleeeeep…

He slapped himself. "None of that! Got-to-finish." He was slightly swaying in his chair, trying not to fall forwards or back while reading the question.

He froze, and re-read the text. He read it again, feeling hideous despair creep deep into his soul.

"Part A-X….!" His breathing quickened. What? A-X? A-X?! How cruel was that!? Hands shaking, eyes blurring, Yuugi just couldn't keep going. No! He would be up until 4:00 am for sure! And he was soooo tired, there was just no way he could keep going. Giving up wasn't an option, seeing as his teacher had made it his specific goal in life to give detentions to any and everyone who didn't finish their homework. And he called home too! Yuugi felt a sob welling up inside of him, and he dropped his head on his desk squeezing his eyes shut. It just wasn't fair! He just couldn't do it!

There was a brilliant flash of golden light, and suddenly the teen's eyes snapped open, blood red orbs burning with sudden fire. He glared down at the text, clenching his fist in furry when he saw the last question.

"A-X?" Rage burned in his heart. That just wasn't human. His dark eyes narrowed, as power radiated through his body.

"Ok… Game Start." He snarled, dark energy cackling. The dark spirit of the millennium puzzle grasped the pencil and tackled the questions, third eye blazing on his forehead.

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

Yuugi's eyes sleepily blinked open as he raised his head from his desk. "Wha…?" he began, then suddenly jolted awake. Oh no! He must have fallen asleep! That meant he would have to stay up even later doing…his...

Yuugi did a doublet take. Questions A-X were… already done. He blinked, then, when that didn't reveal itself as a sleep deprived hallucination, he rubbed at his eyes. Still no difference. There they were, all neatly done. However, there was a slight difference in the writing. Yuugi paled, noticing how his was a little bigger and friendlier, while the other was more slanted, and thin.

Yuugi's eyes drifted to the bottom of the page. In the corner was a small drawing of an eye, the exact same eye as the one that peered out from his millennium puzzle. It seamed to be winking at him somehow. As Yuugi stood he felt something slide off, and turning he saw a blanket on the floor besides him. Hesitantly, he reached down and picked it up, feeling some nameless emotion growing deep down inside. Yuugi cupped the puzzle in his hands, unable to keep a small smile from spreading across his face, warming him from the inside out.

* * *

_Well, that's chapter three! I'm still not entirely sure about this story's length, but I'm thinking at lest three more chapters. There aren't really any shippings, well, Puzzleshipping if you squint, but that's about it. Once again I'm sorry about the wait, and I hope to be updating on a more frequent basis. Thank you once again for all the wonderful reviews! They are greatly appreciated!_

_hoom_


	4. Chapter 4

Nooo! I did it _again_! Blargh! I guess I'm just going to have to be unreliable. But thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews! Oh, and as gamekatt101 pointed out, there might be a few spelling mistakes. As for this, I apologize profoundly, but am unable to do a whole lot about it. My spell check is totally inaccurate, and I spend more time pressing _ignore_ than _change_. On top of that, I suck at spelling, so I apologize once again.

* * *

"Yes! Finished!" Jonouchi loudly proclaimed as the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. "Hey Yuugi, wanna go to the arcade?" He asked, stretching.

"Sure!" Yuugi said enthusiastically. He hadn't been to the arcade in a while. It seamed like a lot of other things just kept distracting him. He had asked his Grandpa about the millennium puzzle, wondering exactly what it was supposed to do. When Yuugi had first solved the puzzle, Grandpa seemed almost surprised that nothing unusual had happened, so maybe there was a sort of a …side effect. Grandpa had translated what it had said on the box for him; _"The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness…" _Hmmm, there could be a bit of a connection…?

They packed up and started down the nearly deserted stairwell. "Oh, crap! I forgot my bag!" Jonouchi cursed.

"How did you pull _that_ off Jonouchi-kun?" Yuugi asked, noting that the blond haired teen was infact, without a bag.

"Now _that _is something I cannot tell you." He jumped up the few stairs to the top. "I'll be right back!" he called back to Yuugi and sped down the hall.

Yuugi smiled. Only Jonouchi. He climbed back up and leaned against the wall, amusing himself by noticing all the small little details in the floor tiles. What Yuugi failed to notice was the man watching him from the hall. The man had been watching him ever since he had first caught sight of Yuugi that morning. Or, more accurately, since he had caught sight of the millennium puzzle. He had to make sure that that was the real thing, and that this boy had been the one to solve it. If he wanted to make sure, he would have to act now. The man detached himself from the shadows, gliding noiselessly down the hallway towards his unsuspecting prey.

Yuugi sighed, examining his shoes. It was strange that they had such a detailed design; no one ever even noticed what they had on the bottom. Suddenly Yuugi felt a shock race through him, something warning him of approaching danger. His head shot up, and he found himself face to face with a strange dark eyed man. His heart stopped, and before he could react, the man grabbed him and pushed, sending Yuugi hurling down the stairwell. He saw the steps rushing up to meet him, feeling himself falling through the air. He was vagley aware of a voice shouting his name before it all went black.

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

Yuugi slowly opened his eyes, feeling an odd sort of detachment. He realized he was lying on a bed staring up at the ceiling, which was a soft, light blue color, as was the rest of the room. Well, not all of it. Some parts of it were a little hazy, but he couldn't tell how much. It was hard to see around all the games and toys scattered around. Yuugi had no idea were he was, but somehow it felt so familiar. Half of this stuff he had never seen before, but right away he knew what they were. Puzzles, stuffed animals, cards, and various game pieces lay haphazardly on the floor, not so much as cluttered, but more…cozy.

Yuugi turned his head, finding the bed to be extremely soft and more comfortable then anything he had ever felt. The one thing that really stood out in the room was the door. Where did it lead to, he wondered? Just as he made to sit up, the room suddenly twisted, and he felt himself plummet downwards. Yuugi squeezed his eyes shut, feeling like he had left his stomach behind. He suddenly stopped, feeling as if he were being sucked into something. Yuugi's eyes snapped open, and he found himself once again looking up at the ceiling.

"Yuugi!" Jonouchi was sitting in a chair beside his bed, and an older woman was standing near by.

"Wha?' Yuugi said somewhat groggily. That was disorienting.

"How're you feeling?" Jonouchi asked tentivley.

"Uh, ok I guess…" Yuugi's head was starting to hurt, and that drained feeling was starting to come back. "I've got to stop doing that..."

"Doing what?" asked Jonouchi frowning.

"Umm…." Whoops. Yuugi really didn't want to tell anyone about his black out, least of all his friends. What if they thought that was too wierd? What if they stopped liking him?! Then what!? Oh no, it would all go back to the way it was before! And that was the last thing Yuugi wanted!

"Yuugi?" Jonouchi asked frowning. "Has…something like this happened before?" Now the weird lady was starting to look at him too.

_/Eeek! /_

_/How about a distraction? /_ said a familiar voice. Just then, there was a loud clatter as a bowl suddenly toppled over the side of a small table, sending its contence flying. The lady jumped, and Jonuchi's head spun around as she went over to clean it up.

/_Thanks! I'm horrible at finding my way out of things! / _Yuugi thought thankfully.

/_You don't give your self enough credit, I'm sure you could have gotten out of that." _The voice responded. _/Oh- you might want to change the subject./_

Jonouchi turned back towards Yuugi, the lady having gone over to clean up the mess.

"Umm….where am I?" Asked Yuugi, taking the voice's advice.

"Wha-Oh, sorry Yuugi! This is the infirmary!' Jonouchi hastily replied.

"The im-imfermary?" Yuugi asked, in total confusion.

"Do ya remember what happened?" Asked Jonouchi tentatively. Yuugi shook his head. "The stairway-"

"That's right!" Yuugi exclaimed, the whole ordeal flooding back. "Someone… pushed me? Wait! How did I end up here?"

"Oh, that was me." Said Jonouchi. "I was just heading back down the hallway when this guy suddenly appeared and started walking towards you." Jonouchi explained. "He was wearing this weird black dress with this eye symbol on it. Anyway, I didn't like the looks of him so I rushed over just in time to see him shove ya down the stairs." Jonouchi glowered, "I tried to grab the creep, but he just disappeared. I don't know how he did it, but he got away. I would have chased after him, but I didn't know how badly you were hurt. Anyway, I got you up here as fast as I could, you didn't seam too banged up, but you can never be too sure."

"Oh…" Said Yuugi softly. "I don't feel too bad" he said looking down at himself, "Was I-?"

"You were extreamely lucky Mr. Muto," said the woman, who Yuugi now realized was a nurse walked over to them. "No broken bones, no fractures, only minimal brusing and some cuts." She looked down at her clipboard, "It's strange…after falling down so many stairs…"

"Could you…_die_ from that?" asked Yuugi, a little shaken.

"It's probable." The nurse said. "You're going to have to be carefull not to strain yourself for the next few days, Mr. Muto. You're going to have some extreamly colorfull bruises, expecialy on your back and torso."

Oh no. What if Yuugi had to quickly make a break for it, would he still be able to? What if he couldn't get away from the usual thugs? Although, on reflection, he hadn't seen any of them in a while…

_/ don't worry. It shouldn't slow you down that much. / _

Yuugi vagley heard Jonouchi telling him to cheer up, before responding, _/You think so? /_

_/I __know__ so. Just try not to put too much pressure on yourself, and think about something else/_

_/Does that work? / _Yuugi asked, curious_. _

_/If you can do it properly. Just keep yourself distracted./_

_/oh…/ _Yuugi suddenly realized what he was doing. He was talking to the voice! And it was answering back! Or was the voice talking to him, and he was answering? Either way, they were actually talking! Out of the corner of his mind, he heard Jonouchi asking him if he was alright.

_/Umm…I…/ _Yuugi didn't know what to say. He hadn't really thought about what he would say to the voice, being more preoccupied about the fact that there was a voice at all. He could feel its presence waiting patiently for him to continue, somehow understanding what he was feeling.

_/I-I guess I wanted to say, ah, um…well, I…umm/ _Yuugi could feel himself blushing. Now Jonouchi was starting to get worried. Yuugi plucked up his courage. _/T-Thank you, for the other day…/_

_/It was the lest I could do. /_ The voice said _/Anyway, you might want to answer your friend…I think he's starting to worry…/_

_/Oh, whoops! And, um…thanks again. / _

As Yuugi hastened to convince Jonouchi he was alright, he heard in the back of his mind

/_Anytime/_

* * *

Yay, I'm done! That took way too long! I don't really know a whole lot about this black cloaked man, except that he looks suspiciously like a rare hunter, and seems to know about the millennium items. No, he's not Marik, I just made him up! Anyway, I apologize again for all spelling and grammatical mistakes, it's about 1:55am and I really just want to get this chapter done. Well, with some luck the next chapter won take so long. I already have the next two chapters all planned out, this chapter was the one I was having trouble with. Hope you enjoyed!

Hoom


	5. Chapter 5

Sigh I think I'm getting worse at this. Really, it's almost been two weeks since my last update. Well, I apologize again, and hope you'll bear with me. Of course, you have every right to complain all you want. Well, here's chapter 5, and thank you for being so patient.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, I'm just a rabid fan girl. Note the rabid.

* * *

A loud beeping noise cut across Yuugi's consciousness, causing him to blearily open his eyes and reach for his alarm. Yuugi groaned as he leaned out of bed and switched it off. He really didn't want to get up. Sliding back into bed, he was too tired to comfortably re-adjust himself, with half of his body lying sideways on top, and the rest under. He closed his eyes, and snuggled into the covers. He just felt so tired. Eventually he flopped back over, pulling the covers over himself and imagining that he didn't have to get up.

Yuugi knew his alarm would go of again in a few minutes; he set it that way so he could prep himself before being forced from his natural habitat. Yuugi groaned at the thought, and rolled further away from the alarm. His nose brushed against something hard, and he forced his eyes open. He found himself staring into an eye, a large gold eye. He blinked. Oh, it was his puzzle. Yuugi always slept with it right besides his pillow, never out of his line of sight or touch. It just felt…wrong to be without it. Like a part of him was missing. The puzzle looked back, glinting slightly in the little bit of sun peaking through Yuugi's blinds.

Nose still touching, Yuugi could see every little detail he had so painstakingly put in place, every line and angle, all fit together into the perfect shape staring him in the face. It was such an enigma to him. Yuugi highly suspected that his 'Other' as he had got to calling him, had some sort of connection to the puzzle. After all, he now knew for sure that the voice really had existed. Or he had just cracked. Meh. That was likely. But still, he had managed to have a coherent conversation with his other, and it didn't end up too bad. Of course the circumstances were less than ideal, but what can you do? At lest they had talked. Yuugi wondered about that weird, cloaked man, though. Sure, stuff like that happened to him all the time, but usually there was a motive. Or, at lest, they didn't just vanish into thin air. Yuugi wasn't too worried though. By the sounds of it, the push down the stairs should have killed Yuugi, and he hardly thought that the man would think he had survived. Still…

Yuugi felt warmth spread from his nose to his whole body. He blinked in confusion, and then realized it was the puzzle. He smiled, and burrowed deeper into the covers. He had no idea who this 'other' was, but he knew one thing for sure. He definitely wasn't his enemy. As curious as Yuugi was, he just didn't think he could ask. It was a little bit rude too. _Yeah, just who are you and what are you doing here?_ Hahaha- no. That was no way to act towards someone who had saved his life. Multiple times too. Not to mention getting him out of a couple of messes. But he was curious…

_Beep. Beep. Beep_. Yuugi squeezed his eyes shut and groaned some more. He forced himself over and turned off his alarm. He sighed, then swung his legs out of bed and got up. He pulled the puzzle closer to him from across the bed, before staggering over to his dresser. He pulled out his uniform and tossed it on is bed, standing in front of his mirror. He tugged off his star-studded pajama top, stopping when he caught his reflection.

Only two days had passed, but most of the bruising was gone. Of course he was still a bit sore, but that was nothing compared to the damage he was supposed to have taken. It had covered almost his entire torso, angry black bruises spreading from his front to back, shoulder to shoulder. He had a few cuts and scrapes, and had been very close to spraining his ankle. But now, most of it had healed, the bruises turning all sorts of different colors and the cuts scabbing over. Yuugi was really surprised that his puzzle hadn't smashed on the stairs, it was sure to have. And another thing, why hadn't the puzzle caused him additional damage, being all sharp and pointy, not to mention right next to his rib cage. Jonouchi said he landed on his chest, so it would have either been underneath him, or maybe even tangled around his neck. Instead, he had received almost no damage to that area at all.

Yuugi mentally slapped himself. He was going to be late if he didn't get a move on! He quickly forced on his uniform, pulling his millennium puzzle over his head, and rushed over to the bathroom. He spared a quick glance at the mirror before heading down to the kitchen. Yep, his hair had gone to its natural five pointed shape, all sticking strait up into the air, gold bangs framing his face. A little messy, but that was just _too bad_. He turned on his heel, and sped down the stairs, jumping the last one.

"Ohayo!" Yuugi called out cheerfully to his Grandpa. Considering how tired he was, he felt inexplicably happy.

"Ohayo Yuugi." Grandpa said from behind his newspaper.

Yuugi grabbed himself a piece of toast and smeared jam on its slightly darkened surface. He licked the knife, then transferred the toast to his mouth. He grabbed a cup and pored himself some apple juice. Yuugi took the toast out of his mouth and took a bite, sliding into his chair. He happily munched away, short legs swinging back and forth.

'Yuugi, listen to this." Said Grandpa, staring intently down at his newspaper. Yuugi looked up from his toast questionably.

"Apparently there was an attack on a young man yesterday, not three blocks away from here." Yuugi blinked in surprise, as his Grandpa went on, "The victim was stabbed two times with a knife of some kind before the attacker ran off, taking the weapon with him." Grandpa's brow furrowed in confusion, "But the victim is also suffering from a form of psychological damage, becoming overly paranoid and talking gibberish"

Yuugi gulped nervously, "Did they catch the attacker?"

Grandpa shook his head, "He seamed to have vanished without a trace."

Yuugi was suddenly reminded of what Jonouchi had said of _his_ attacker. He felt a deep sort of unease descend upon him like a cloud, as he realized in both cases the attacker had 'vanished without a trace'. And only within a day of each other, _two blocks away_ from his house!

"Yuugi?" Said his Grandpa softly. Yuugi realized he was still holding his toast part way to his mouth, and lowered it. Grandpa had heard about the attack on Yuugi. The school had called him shortly after, and he had driven over to pick Yuugi up, him being fit to leave. Of course, Yuugi had to be escorted out, being significantly battered and disoriented. Grandpa and Jonouchi had helped him, Jonouchi explaining what had happened as best as he could, Yuugi adding what little he knew into the mix as well. None of them really had any idea what was going on.

"You think they're connected?" Yuugi asked quietly.

"There is a possibility, but you never know. It may just as well be coincidence." At Yuugi's look of disbelief be added, "It doesn't seam like he has much of a motive for his attacks. They seam more random, just acts of violence." The old man's eyes met Yuugi's, "I don't think he'll try to kill you."

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

The ten minute walk to the bus stop seemed longer than ever. Yuugi lived close enough to the school to walk, but he would take the bus to school everyday. It meant a little more sleep, and spared him the 20 minute walk to school. After school he would just walk home, seeing as the buss was always late, it was almost faster

He kept resisting the urge to glance over his shoulder, or peer into every side ally and back street he passed. His other seamed to sense it too; he could feel his presence ever so slightly on the surface, acting almost like radar. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Thankfully, he managed to get to school without any mishap or sign of approaching danger. All through the day Yuugi could feel someone's eyes on him, some sinister presence lurking in the shadows. He was so distracted he didn't even react to the amount of homework he was being assigned.

"Hey Yuugi, you ok?" Their last class of the day had just ended, and everyone was jotting down their home work and rushing out of the class room with all possible speed. Yuugi spun around, jumping at the sound of Honda's voice.

"O-Oh, um…y-yeah, I'm alright…" He trailed off, feeling a blush creeping over his features. _Come on Yuugi!_ He thought, _you're just being paranoid! _He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"Well, I know _I'd_ be on edge if some creep in a dress tried to kill me." Said Jonouchi from besides them. They all luckily sat pretty close to each other, Honda diagonally behind Yuugi, and Jonouchi to Yuugi's left.

"Have they caught that guy yet?" Asked Honda, closing his brief case.

Jonouchi shock his head. "I gave them my description, but they haven't found anything. They don't seem to be in too much of a hurry though." Said Jonouchi glaring, "They were more concerned about him trespassing then attacking someone!"

"What?!" Said Honda angrily

"Yeah, they probably thought it was just an accident or that you just tripped on the stairs and made up some cover story out of embarrassment, Yuugi."

Yuugi numbly slung his bag onto his back. "You don't think he had anything to do with that attack yesterday, do you?" He asked a strange sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Yeah, you heard them! 'Vanished without a trace', just like that creep!" Jonouchi said, excitedly.

"Well, I don't know," said Honda as they walked down the hallway, "You can't really connect the two with only one piece of information, especially one as vague as 'vanished without a trace". He argued, "I mean, they don't even know what this guy looks like, and the victim was too delirious to tell them anything."

"What!?" Exclaimed Jonouchi, "Of course it's the same guy! The attacks happened within _two_ days of each other! Just a few blocks away! I even _saw_ the creep; he definitely looks like someone who would start _hacking at another guy's face_!"

"Yeah, well there are a lot of suspicious people who look like they would like to _kill_ someone, but you can't just go around arresting them because of their appearance."

"But this guy's already committed an _act of violence_! He _pushed_ Yuugi _down the stairs_! That was intended to _kill_ and/or _maim_!" Raged Jonouchi, "What do you think Yuugi- umm….Yuugi?"

Most of the blood had drained from Yuugi's face, and he was starting to feel a little lightheaded.

"Ah, Jonouchi," Said Honda quietly, "Maybe we should change the subject, I don't think Yuugi's really...enjoying the conversation."

"Oh! Sorry Yuugi!" Jonouchi hastily apologized, "I didn't realize you might be a little uncomfortable talking about it. What with that murderous freak still on the loose, who knows where he could be-he might even be right _here_! _In the school! Right now!_ Just-!"

"Jonouchi!!' Honda punched Jonouchi, who after quickly recovering from the blow, turned bright red.

"I'm _so_ sorry Yuugi! I really didn't mean to say that!" Jonouchi said, a look of utter shock covering his features, "Don't worry about it Yuugi, there's no reason for him to come after you. He's probably miles away by now. And besides Honda's probably right, we're making too big of an assumption, it's probably not even the same guy…"

"Eh…thanks guys…" Yuugi said, a little uncertainly.

"We really haven't been much help today, have we?" Said Jonouchi shame faced.

"No, not really," said Yuugi, smiling a little.

"Then again, neither of us has ever had a knife wielding maniac-!"

"Jonouchi!"

"_SORRY!"_

Yuugi couldn't help but laugh. He guessed they had helped in their own way, but that feeling still clung to him. _Come ON Yuugi! Enoughs enough! It's just coincidence…_ For all he tried, nothing could put his mind at ease. Or the mind of his 'other'. The spirit could feel it, could feel he was near. The dark energy that radiated out of the dark cloaked form told the spirit that he was near. But he never suspected that the man was only a few feet away, watching Yuugi from the shadows. Watching and waiting.

* * *

Ok, second last chapter is done! Hehehe...a cliffy! Last chapter I said there would be two more chapters, but then I realized I only had one other chapter planned out. That's why this one took so long; I needed to draw it out a bit. And of course, my emotions were doing _weird _and uncalled for things, so writing was a little difficult. Anyways, next is the last chapter of _Anytime_, and the big climatic ending (I hope). I'm thinking of maybe doing a sequel or epilogue sometime, but I might just take a break and plan out some new stuff. Of course I also have to re-do a lot of my older stuff, so that may take a while. But for now, expect the final chapter…sometime in the near future.

Hoom


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone! I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing this, but I'm sorry that this is so late in coming. And it was a cliffy and everything! Not to mention the last chapter of _Anytime_. Still, the reason this is even later than usual is because instead of my usual chapters being about 6-8 pages long, this final chapter is about **18 pages long!** _Whoo!_ I totally didn't expect I would get so much out it. For some reason this chapter just wanted to be better developed than the ones I usually write at about 12:00 am. Well, this being the last chapter and all, I've decided to reply to all reviewers as a way of saying thanks. And thank you soo much! Without your reviews, _Anytime_ would have remained a one shot.

XLight ForeverX – Yep, dark energy, and lots of it!

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif – You never know about Marik and Bakura, one of them just might try and get involved. As to who I'm rabid for…well, it's not exactly just one character. If you didn't guess I'm a full time puzzleshipper as well as a part time wishshipper. If I had to say I was rabid over anyone, I'd say Yuugi, because of his extreme kawai-ness. Yeah, I do drool over Yuugi. And Yami.

Nyago – I hope you enjoy the final chapter! Yami definitely will be in this chapter, and he's not going to be too happy. XD

Bored2Death – Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I felt we needed some suspense. I hope this makes up for the wait.

dragonlady222 – I'm glad you like it. I hope the last chapter lives up to the rest.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything even slightly resembling it.

Words in _italics_ are just to empathize; they don't have any connection to the mind link.

Enjoy!

* * *

The three teens walked out of the school and into the mid-after noon sun. "Hey Yuugi, you wanna go with us to Burger World or something?" asked Jonouchi, "Maybe that will take your mind off...well_ things_ and _people._ And_ murderous _peoplewith _knives_."

"I think he gets the point Jonouchi." Said Honda, pointitivley.

"Eh? Oh, ah…actually I have to watch the shop today. I'm really sorry I can't go, but thanks for the offer anyway!" Said Yuugi hastily.

He always felt so bad when he had to turn his friends down. They always did so much for him, like taking him out to Burger World, and the various arcades. They didn't even like burgers that much, but they still went because they were Yuugi's favorite. And Yuugi didn't have a part-time job or any source of income...well, besides the small amount that Grandpa gave him every month, but his friends always paid for him and no matter how he tried to protest, they still did it anyways. He was truly grateful.

"Aww, that's too bad." Said Jonouchi empathetically. "Still, we should walk ya home, you know, in case old Stabby decides to show up."

"Jonouchi."

"Sorry!"

Yuugi tried to suppress a laugh "Thanks guys. Really makes me feel better." He sarcastically remarked, wrapping his arms around himself and glancing around nervously.

"Oh wait!" Said Honda suddenly, "Don't we have to go to the station about your dad Jonouchi?"

"Crap! That's right!" Cursed the blond. He turned to Yuugi, "I gotta fill out this form at the police station about my da." He said exasperatedly, "Apparently he might be getting out of jail sometime, and they want to know how we think he'll do back in society. It requires a second signature, so Honda here volunteered" He explained rolling his eyes. Jonouchi's dad was an unemployed drunk, and had spent the last few months in jail. The chances of him rehabilitating were next to nothing.

"Oh. Well, that's ok!" Said Yuugi, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the thought of walking home by himself. "You better fill out that form."

"Yeah, but-"

"N-no really! It's fine!" Said Yuugi, cutting off Jonouchi. "I'll be alright! It's only a twenty minute walk, and besides," he added forcing himself to smile," We still don't even know if it's the same guy."

The two taller teens frowned, briefly making eye contact. "Well…all right Yuugi." Said Honda slowly," But make sure you're extra careful!"

"Yeah, and go strait home," added Jonouchi, "And if you see a creepy guy with anything resembling a knife, _run like hell."_

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Yuugi laughed forcibly. "You'd better get going; you don't want to be late."

Honda looked at his watch and swore. "We gotta go Jonouchi!"

"Right! Just…be careful Yuugi." warned Jonouchi, worriedly.

"See you guys!" Called Yuugi, waving them off.

He watched them until they turned a corner and were lost to sight. Yuugi turned and made off in the opposite direction that his two friends had just gone.

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

There was that feeling again. He swore he could sense someone watching him. Yuugi shivered slightly and quickened his pace, trying to fight back his rapidly rising panic. Every step he took seemed incredibly loud, echoing off the pavement and reverberating around the nearly deserted streets. He felt eyes boring into him, watching and waiting, like a vice slowly closing in on the small teen.

His other could feel it too. Yuugi felt him tense up, ready to strike at a moments notice. Yuugi tightened his grip on his bag and tried to slow his uneven breathing. _Oh come on!_ He thought frustrated at his behavior. _Just drop it already! There's no reason __**anyone**__ would go through so much trouble to go after someone like __**you.**_ _You're not nearly significant enough for anyone to waste that much time over. Get __**over**__ your self already, Yuugi!_

A sudden wave of concern mingled with anger passed through him, and he could almost feel a deep growl within him. Yuugi stopped in surprise. What had that been about? Was his other…_objecting,_ to his train of thought? Before he could figure out what it meant a sudden shadow fell across his path. Yuugi's head shot up meeting the smoldering eyes of the black cloaked man. He barely had time to scream before he was roughly grasped and thrown, hitting against the brick of a nearby alley wall and sliding painfully down to the cold cement. He forced his head up and tried to clear his vision, the man slowly advancing towards him, blocking the only exit to the narrow ally.

He felt a sudden wave of outrage, and fear course through him, felt something struggling to be free. Yuugi's vision began to blur and he gasped, something pulling him backwards. His vision cleared, a wave of nausea washing over him-and he suddenly was pulled forewords again. He panted heavily, sweat running down his face. _What_ _was going on!?_ He could feel his body trying to change, wanting to mold into something, _someone _else, but it couldn't! He was being blocked from his other! His heart was clenched with pure, white hot, hatred, like nothing he had ever felt before, and then suddenly wrenched free. Yuugi's whole body shook, and he collapsed onto the cold, hard cement, heart pounding in his ears, the world spinning, breaths coming out in short gasps.

He heard laughter from above him, and he desperately fought back the threatening blackness.

"Well, well, well, _little Yuugi_, I presume?" The voice was hard, cold, and dripping with malevolent energy. Yuugi struggled to open his eyes, and saw a pair of blurry, black boots inches from his face.

"Such a same the Pharaoh couldn't join us, but we'll be seeing him soon enough." The man nearly spat the word _Pharaoh_, snarling. "Right now, _you're_ the one I want."

…_The pharaoh…?_ Yuugi shakily raised himself to his knees, pressing his back against the hard brick wall, trying to distance himself from the man. _Who was…? Wait. What did he say about wanting to talk to…did that mean…?_ Yuugi lifted his head and glared up at the cloaked man.

"W-what do you want!?" He asked his voice not nearly as confident as he had hoped. "Who are you?!"

The man laughed, a cold, heartless sound, sending shivers down Yuugi's spine. "Who I am is my business alone. What I will tell you," he said taking a step closer, as Yuugi struggled to his feet, "Is that I am part of an organization, a Rare Hunter as some call us."

Yuugi leaned heavily on the wall, sharp brick corners digging into his side. _Rare Hunter? What was that?_

"As for what I want…," he said, lowering his gaze to rest on Yuugi's millennium Puzzle. "The Millennium Puzzle that hangs around your neck." Yuugi gasped, both hands clutching the puzzle protectively.

The man laughed, and gave the most sadistic sneer Yuugi had ever seen. "This can be easy, or it can be difficult. Let me put it this way, if you give it to me, I won't have to make you suffer. Which I might do anyway if you don't cooperate" Yuugi could feel the dark energy around him, so strong he could almost see it. "So, why don't you hand that over like a good boy, Yuugi?"

"_Never_!" Yuugi glared at the man, fear forgotten. No matter what this creep did to him, there was no way Yuugi would hand over the puzzle. Anger coursed through his usually clear mind at the mere thought.

The Hunter's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting such a response from his seemingly weak prey, before glinting dangerously. He took another step foreword, black robes blocking out nearly all light from the narrow ally.

"_Give me the puzzle."_

"Over my dead body!" Yuugi braced himself against the wall; ready for the assault he knew was soon to come. The ally was a dead end, the only way out, the way he had come in. Currently being blocked by his assailant.

"That can be arranged." He snarled, face twisting into a hideous grin as a long, sharp knife suddenly glinted in his hand. He lunged foreword, swinging his knife at Yuugi's head.

Yuugi was ready for him. As soon as he moved, Yuugi ducked, and lunged forewords, using the other's much stronger weight to his advantage. The hunter tripped over the small teen, his momentum carrying him right over Yuugi's head to land in a heap on the other side of his smaller opponent. The way out now clear, Yuugi made a dash for it, knowing there was no way he could win against someone of that size.

He was almost out into the street when he felt a sharp, blinding pain in his right ankle, and he collapsed to the ground with a cry as the world was pulled out from under him. He landed on his face, palms and knees scrapping against the pavement, as he suddenly felt himself pulled backwards into the dark. He struggled against the force, tiring to find something to grab onto to stop his involuntary movement. His back suddenly exploded with searing pain, as Yuugi felt something slice across it, cutting through his jacket and skin. He screamed with pain as a sudden weight slammed down upon his newly opened wound.

"I tried to make things easy," Came the man's voice as he pinned the struggling teen down, "But you had to do thing the hard way. So _now_, I have no choice-"

Something pulled Yuugi inwards, and suddenly his head felt like it was going to explode with pain. The world was going out of focus, and he struggled wildly, everything beginning to fade. He was forcibly yanked downwards, and landed against a soft, semi-familiar surface. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, and he vaguely registered he had landed on a bed of some sort. _Wait! Hadn't he been here before!? _The Hunter's weight slammed down on the small teen, causing him to cry out as pain flashed across his back.

The man chuckled, a hard, cheerless sound, as he bound Yuugi's hands behind his back. "Nice room." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm, as he glanced around at the sky blue walls and various toys scattered throughout. "But yours isn't the room I'm interested in."

Something sharp and cold was pressed up against Yuugi's neck, and he gasped involuntarily as the man's voice came from right besides his ear. "Now listen to me. We're going to visit the almighty _Pharaoh _in his little room." Yuugi's head was roughly yanked toward the door he had seen the last time in this room. "And he's going to give me what I need so I can rightfully claim the puzzle, along the power that comes with it. Eliminating the _Ancient Ruler_ in the process."

_Wait! If this…Pharaoh, lived through that other door, could it be that the Pharaoh was his other? If that was so…He was in serious danger!!_

"And you, _little Yuugi,_" sneered the hunter, pressing the knife against Yuugi's neck, using just enough pressure to draw a small amount of blood. "Are going to help me do it."

"_**NO!"**_ Yuugi shouted, struggling uselessly as the man held him down.

The dark cloaked man laughed manically, and dragged Yuugi to his feet. Yuugi tried to break free, but the instant he put pressure on his ankle, he was left reeling in pain. The hunter crushed him against his side, effectively halting Yuugi's attempted escape. With his hands tied and ankle useless, Yuugi had no choice but to lean his weight on the man.

"If you even so much as _think_ of warning him," Yuugi felt the knife slide back in place against his neck. "I'll cut your face off."

The man dragged Yuugi over to the door and pulled it open, revealing a long, dark hallway that spread out in both directions, each fading away into darkness. Directly across from Yuugi's door was another, but instead of being a bright friendly yellow, this door was threatening in itself_._ From the vines and dark tendrils that covered its exterior, to the large piercing eye on its center, Yuugi could tell it was anything but friendly. _That eye! The same one that one on the Millennium Puzzle…!_

The man reached for the handle, but it wasn't necessary as the door swung open on its own. The man stopped dead in his tracks.

"Only make me second in command, eh?" The hunter grumbled to himself, as he shook his head and stepped over the threshold into the room beyond. "Oh, I'll show you _Marik. _I'll get your _precious Pharaoh_ for you, and then we'll see who's in charge!"

It was so dank and musty. Like a tomb, Yuugi realized. The man spun around as the door swung shut with a snap, closing off the light coming from Yuugi's room across the hall. Yuugi knew they had triggered an alarm, and he felt an anger greater than anything he had ever felt before pulsing through the walls of this dark palace. A torch suddenly sprung to life, casting great shadows, and revealing the true size of the room. It was immense! Stairways and doorways were going off in all different directions, some even traveling along the floor and walls, a twisting turning labyrinth. It was all meant to trick, to deceive Yuugi realized with a shock, to guard its secrets against all intruders. But beyond all the alarms and hidden traps, Yuugi felt something different. Something so vast, so dark, so…lonely.

"_Phar-aoh!"_ The man called out in a sing-song voice, glancing fearfully around at all the doors and passageways, trying to hide his fear. He clutched Yuugi to him closer, knife biting into the tender skin around his neck, making him cry out in pain "Come out Pharaoh! I brought a little _friend_ of yours."

The Hunter was trying to draw the Pharaoh out! And he was using Yuugi to do it! _No!_ _Please don't come out!!_ If he came out, the man would…he would….Tears sprang into Yuugi's eyes at the mere thought of loosing his other. _**No**__!_ No matter what the risk, Yuugi would never allow that to happen. Yuugi used all of his strength and lunged to the right, away from knife, the Hunter's grip slightly slipped.

"Don't! It's a trap!" he shouted as loud as he could.

Yuugi felt he man's hands clench on him like a vice, as his warning echoed eerily around in the half light of the labyrinth. He couldn't breathe, so tight was the man's grip. _Please…Don't…come out…._ White, hot pain, sliced across his cheek, his whole face going numb.

"_You're dead!"_ The hunter hissed, raising his knife.

Suddenly something shot out of the dark, embedding itself just inches away from the man's foot. They both looked up in shock. Yuugi's breath caught in his throat as the sound of a knife leaving its sheath echoed throughout the empty halls, the deadly weapon glinting in the dark. Thousands of others mirrored its actions, coming from all sides, the room alive with the sound of impending death. All around knives glinted, out of the deep shadows of the many hundreds of hallways, reflecting the light back at them, the room glowing with the red refection from the singular torch. There was a moment of pause, before all tenths thousands of these deadly weapons let fly, aimed directly at the intruders.

Time seamed to slow as each of the glinting blades flew towards them, light reflecting off the wall casting twisted and distorted images. The Hunter gave a strangled cry and released the knife in his hand, hoping that it might save him.

Suddenly something dark blocked Yuugi's vision, and he felt something wrap around him, pulling him free of the Hunter's grasp. He felt the bonds around his wrists fall away, as he felt someone's arms go around him, dark energy-charged material swirling around, protecting them both. Yuugi realized his head was buried in someone's chest, into which he was sobbing uncontrollably. He squeezed his eyes shut. The arms around him tightened protectively, and Yuugi could hear the blades bouncing off whatever protected him, mingled with the agonized screams of the Rare Hunter. He heard a heartbeat right beside his ear, comforting him with it's steady, even beats. But such rage. He felt it all around him, it was terrifying, but it wasn't aimed at him. It had manifested itself, flying through the air, imbedding itself in the man who had so readily used others to appease his own desires. A sob caught in Yuugi's throat, and the rain of knives intensified, earning an even more horrendous sound from the tormented hunter.

After what seamed an eternity, the knives finally stopped, and Yuugi felt the dark material that surrounded them melt away. He kept his eyes shut, the arms remaining around his slender frame even though the rain of knives had ceased. He heard a strangled choking noise from the floor, and buried his head deeper into the man's chest, trying not to picture what the Hunter must look like after an attack like that.

"How _dare_ you use my aibou in your schemes." That voice! It was the same voice of his other! Yuugi could recognize that deep, charismatic tone anywhere. Did he call him …_aibou_? They were partners? So did this mean that the person who had saved him was his other?! And if that was true- Yuugi blushed furiously- He currently had his head buried in his chest.

"If you have something to say, say it to _me_, leave_ him _out if it_!"_ Yuugi thought he would hate to be that Hunter right now, that tone meant business, and left no room for anything else.

There was an odd, gurgling noise coming from the floor. _Ughn! He was trying to speak!_

"Curse-you…pharaoh-" he was cut off by a few hacking coughs, "I may have failed," he drew in a shuddering breath before continuing, "but- you haven't-seen the last...of us…" The man tried to laugh, but only succeeded on choking on what Yuugi sickenly guessed was the man's own blood.

"Marik…will-destroy you…_pharaoh._ And your little _aibou_ too-" he suddenly screamed, and Yuugi could feel him writhing on the floor, dark energy radiating off his other in sudden hate.

"You-leave-my-aibou-_out of this."_ That sent shivers down Yuugi's spine. "Get out of my sight!"

There was the sound of a latch being unhinged, and suddenly something swung open. From what it sounded like, the man had fallen through a trap hole in the floor, screams echoing back up from whatever depth he had fallen. The dark energy died down, and the arms around him loosened slightly.

"Are you hurt?" asked the voice, full of concern.

Yuugi slowly raised his head, black leather coming into focus. "I-I'm ok… I-"Yuugi gasped, drawing back as he caught sight of his other. It was almost like seeing a refection of himself, except for a few startling differences. Those eyes! Their blood red orbs bore deep into Yuugi's soul, threatening to consume him body and soul with their hidden fire. The face was more angular than Yuugi's, pleasantly so, and devoid of the baby fat Yuugi seemed to be stuck with. His hair was spiked with shocks of gold that swept up to crown his regal form, unlike Yuugi, who just had spiky, golden bangs, with nothing regal at all.

His other suddenly looked horrified, and quickly took a step back." I'm sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you!" he hastily apologized.

Frighten?_ Oh no! He probably thinks he looks like a monster to me! Way to go Yuugi! Just gasp and back away! Now he thinks you're afraid of him!_

"Y-you didn't scare me!" Yuugi said quickly, taking a step towards his other "I was just-"

Yuugi cried out as his injured ankle gave out on him. His other quickly lunged forwards, and for the second time that day, Yuugi found his face buried in his chest. The taller look-alike held him somewhat awkwardly. Yuugi slowly looked up, face burning with embarrassment.

"Startled me… That's all." He said, straightening himself, his other supporting him. Relief quickly passed over his other's features.

"Your ankle." He said, anger slightly flickering in his blood red eyes.

"What? Oh, it's fine!"

Yuugi tried to demonstrate that his ankle was indeed fine, and leant his weight on it. There was a flash of pain, and the next thing he knew, he was being carried out of the room into the hallway. Yuugi blinked, trying to clear away the little black spots that clouded his vision.

"Uhnn…how did I…?"

"You passed out." Said his other as the door snapped shut behind him. "From the pain." He added at Yuugi's look of confusion. He shook his head. "You really had me going there."

He halted in front of the open door of the bright, sky blue room across from his own. "Ah, may I…?" He inclined his head towards the room, asking for permission.

"G-go ahead, the door's open." What was this place Yuugi wondered? It was apparently his, as everyone seamed to keep saying.

The taller entered, taking great care not to step on any of the toys spewed across the floor. His other gently lowered Yuugi onto the bed, careful not to brush his wounded ankle. He carefully removed the sneaker from his foot, along with his sock, and gently rolled back his pant leg.

"Y-you don't have to…" Yuugi trailed off, as the darker continued to examine his ankle.

"Lets see…" His other said, probing the abused limb with his eyes. After a minute of intense probing, he looked up. "Don't worry. This won't hurt at all"

He shut his eyes in concentration, and a soft glow began to radiate off of him. He opened his eyes, and Yuugi watched transfixed as he gently placed both hands on the wounded limb. Instead of the blinding pain Yuugi was sure to come, he felt a warmth spread throughout his body, centered on his ankle. After a while the glow slowly died down, and his other carefully removed his hands, letting out a breath. Yuugi tentatively wiggle his toes, eyes widening in surprise at the lack of pain.

"It worked!" Said the small teen, staring in wonder at his newly repaired ankle. "You fixed it!" He looked up and smiled at his other, who was watching him with amusement. "Thank you."

His other's face fell, and he looked away guiltily. "Please…don't thank me."

Yuugi's brow furrowed in confusion. What did that mean? "Why shouldn't I…?"

His other sighed, "I'm the reason you got hurt." He hung his head in shame, staring at the soft floor of Yuugi's room. "That man was after me, not you. If it wasn't for me-"

"If it wasn't for you," Yuugi said, cutting his other off, "I would probably be dead by now." Yuugi found that it really hurt to know that was what his other thought. It wasn't true at all! It wasn't his fault Yuugi got hurt!

"But I'm the reason you get so much negative attention! The puzzle attracts those whose souls are full of evil, for it is my fait to pass judgment on them. The reason they target you is because of me!"

"Maybe I have been getting attacked on a more frequent basis, but it has always been like that for me! Even before I solved the puzzle. And besides," Yuugi looked into those deep red eyes, "I would gladly deal with these side effects, just so long as it means I can keep the puzzle, and everything that comes with it."

His other stared at him, eyes unreadable. "There is so much more to you then meets the eye, aibou. Thank you."

Yuugi smiled up at the darker teen. "What's your name?"

His other frowned. "Some have called me Pharaoh…" His brows drew together in concentration as he tried to remember something. "However…you can call me Yami."

Yami? How strangely fitting. "Yami." He said, trying it out. Yuugi decided he liked it. He looked up and their eyes met.

Yuugi smiled. "Anytime."

* * *

Wow, I'm done! That took a while. It's sort of sad; my first multi-chaptered story is over. However, looking on the positive side, I now know that I am actually capable of sticking with a story to the end! Yay! - You probably won't be hearing a lot from me for a while, exams are coming and I really can't afford to flunk any of them. However, once the summer starts, I'll have endless hours to spase out in front of my computer. Yay! Looking forewords to that. Once again _Thank you everyone!!_

hoom


End file.
